DET vs PIT

One of the lowest points in NHL history, from the perspective of the suits in the league offices, came four years ago in a makeshift press room in Calgary.

In what should have been the happiest time of year for the NHL, with a Stanley Cup Finals series between the Flames and Tampa Bay Lightning going on, Gary Bettman looked like he wanted to cry.

On an off day in the series, reports circulated around the press room that the annual spring classic had the lowest TV ratings of any in league history - lower in the U.S. than some poker matches even.

Labour Armageddon that led to the first cancelled season in major pro sports history was just around the corner, and Bettman knew he was about to lose his biggest U.S. TV contract, partly because nobody wanted to watch a sport where every game was a 2-1, clutch-and-grab snoozefest, as was the case in that series.

Doldrums to excitement

Meanwhile, a collection of dour-faced, tight-lipped Flames and Lightning players and coaches trudged to the podium to give the media absolutely nothing whatsoever worthwhile to write about. One memorably drab moment came Brad Richards was asked about tying Joe Sakic for the most game-winning playoff goals in one year.

"It's OK I guess," the Lightning centre replied.

Flash forward to today, to a comeback verging on Lazarus-like proportions for the sport. There is labour peace, there are higher TV ratings and a renewed U.S. contract, there are all-time high league revenues, there is an Original Six team in the Finals and there is Sidney Crosby.

Even Ma and Pa Kettle may watch this one south of the border.

The matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins - the first in the Finals in the 41 years the teams have co-existed in the NHL - has the suits from New York and Toronto more excited than they've been in many years, not to mention hockey fans everywhere else.

While the Red Wings aren't the New York Yankees or Dallas Cowboys on the U.S. sports fans' Q Meter, they are one of the sport's most recognized teams to the average fan.

And the presence of the electrifying and magnetic Crosby in the Finals gives the NHL a marquee platform from which to promote its brightest, most recognizable young star for up to the next two weeks.

Let the fun begin, starting with Game 1 Saturday at Joe Louis Arena at 8 p.m. ET (CBC, CBCSports.ca).

'Young kids coming into our league'

"I think our league is in incredible shape with the great young players and personalities coming into our sport," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "Who doesn't like watching Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin and (Evgeni) Malkin, and the list goes on and on with these young kids coming into our league?

“They play the game with passion, enthusiasm and high end skill, and the rules are designed to allow them to do what they do. I'm biased; I think we've got the greatest game in the world. I think it's the greatest game alive. The more people that get a chance to watch it live on TV and know these great young players are going to become fans of the National Hockey League."

Of course, Holland would love nothing better than to see Crosby's series statistics to read: 0-0-0. Good luck with that.

The Penguins figure to give the favoured Wings their toughest offensive test of the playoffs, led by Crosby and Malkin. But so do the Penguins with Detroit, led by young stars Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

Bowman’s imprint

The series has a lot of interesting subplots, including the fact that the legendary Scott Bowman coached both teams to their last Stanley Cup wins. Bowman, now a consultant to the Wings, will get his name on the Cup a record 11th time if they prevail.

"It should definitely be a fun series to watch," Bowman said. "Both teams have so much skill with the puck."

That the Wings do a better job of getting the puck could be a deciding factor in the series. Another interesting subplot is it features the NHL's best faceoff team (Detroit, at 53.3 per cent) against the worst in Pittsburgh (46.1).

The Wings not only get the puck, they hang on to it. With Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski playing nearly half the game every night, Detroit has two of the NHL's best puck-handlers always having their sticks on it, thanks to premier faceoff men such as Kris Draper, who is leading the playoffs at 63.4 per cent, and Zetterberg (57.9).

Another series angle is the disparity in average ages between the teams' players. Detroit averages 32.3 years of age, while Pittsburgh is 27.9.

"I think we do have a pretty young team,'' Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero said. "But we have some really good veterans that have been through it as well, like Petr Sykora, (Gary) Roberts and Darryl Sydor, who are the voices of reason for us. Yes, Sidney Crosby (20) and Evgeni Malkin (21) are young, but these guys are superstar players ready to take the next step."

Rust from long rest?

Roberts, who turned 42 on Friday, is one of only three Penguins players with a Stanley Cup ring. To Chris Chelios, though, Roberts could be called "Kid." At 46, Chelios is bidding for his third ring.

The Penguins have seemingly been off forever, since eliminating the Flyers in the Eastern finals. Possible Penguins rust will be examined as a pre-Game 1 storyline, therefore, but Lidstrom on Friday said he isn't counting on it.

"It's impressive the way they've played together. They have great individual skills, but they play together as well," said Lidstrom, who could become the first European captain to win a Stanley Cup in NHL history.

"So it's very impressive how well they played so far in the playoffs, with some of the young stars they have, they've really responded with authority and playing beyond their years in a way, too, the way they have carried themselves."

NOTEBOOK: The Wings said Friday that leading goal-scorer, Johan Franzen, will not play in Game 1 because of post-concussion problems. Franzen did practice Friday, however, and there is a chance he'll be ready for Game 2 Monday.

Draper also returned to practice Friday for Detroit, one day after the birth of his third child. ... The teams did not meet during the regular season, just the third time in Finals history that's been the case. The last meeting was Oct. 7, 2006, a 2-0 Detroit win. ... Strong starts have bolstered both teams through the playoffs. Both have
allowed just eight first-period goals through three rounds.